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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fine — high quality
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bat — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. hand — help
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hand — in cards
  14. scale — size or range
  15. drill — army training
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — in music
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com